I’m not from there, but they have some information posted on their Facebook page and the entries look pretty light, especially on the dressage side:
They’ve hidden the horse and rider info on Ring Radar, so it’s difficult to say if the entries are mainly their own students or if they were able to pull in other barns.
Honestly, it’s probably the time of year. The weather is pretty unpredictable in Jan/Feb. Plus, anyone who was waiting until last minute knew this weekend was possibly going to be a bad weather weekend in the last few days the entries were open.
Their like/follow count is up, rather significantly, in just over a month. Approximately 3x/5x.
True, the weather in Texas has been unseasonably cold. For horse people, this kind of weather is stressful because we are not set up for it. Showing was the last thing on my mind this last week.
This past week in the Houston area, where the UDJC show is today & tomorrow, has been one of the coldest winter weeks since the Great Snowmaggedon shut down the state in Feb. 2021. Although nothing nearly as serious as that one. And, I know it’s laughable compared with winters in much of the U.S., probably Germany as well. But here temps in the 20’s and low 30’s are rare, especially during the day, plus wind, plus rain Thursday & Friday … plus it looked still cold for this weekend.
However today (Saturday) is brilliant, if cold for the climate. Outside rings may be soaked, but hopefully UDJC is under a roof.
As they say, there is no bad weather, only bad clothing. And the other side of the riding equation is a great many people who live here do not have true winter clothing. It’s expensive and most winters they don’t need it. And there is a tendency to just stay indoors during the few seriously cold days of the year.
This week I am once again reminded of how many people I know just don’t own a true outdoor coat. On the few days a year that it is seriously cold, they run between the car and the building. They reschedule or skip outdoor things.
And little or no winter show clothes. So very possibly entering this show just didn’t seem like a fun day of freezing. Some are better prepared, but a great many are not.
Plus some horse people here don’t show in January-February because of the strong chance of a cold-wind-rain day(s), even if the weather was fairly pleasant before and after. March might be better!
For a laugh – the people remarking with amazement “I saw ice outside this morning !!!” Had to be up & out early for that. The ice was barely there, thin skin over a shallow puddle, and gone by 9 am. 
Anyway fingers crossed that people who show UDJC this weekend have good reports and this starts to lift off well.
Texas has some unusual cold right now, including freezing fog causing slick roads.
I’m sure a lot of people diverted due to the weather we’ve been having in TX, but one of the judges posted this
Honestly - if you are prepared for any weather, you are thrilled that you did choose this day to show. It was brilliant, cold but sunny, and thankfully wind much milder than forecast.
BUT – if you do not own show clothing for any but hot steamy temps, which is most of the year here, entering was a big risk of a miserable day. Here, below 50, the locals petrify into a frozen huddle, especially if it is also windy. Can barely move. Trying only to get back to the heated vehicle.
I run into this with South Texas showers every winter. Lived 11 years in CO myself and got all geared up. I can withstand what the weather has to offer here (if they don’t insist on formal show attire).
But most people I know living in this area just don’t have the gear. I do not blame them at all for their self preservation decisions. The cold here is damp and more miserable than much colder temps in CO.
If it matters, back when Texas eventers used to travel to enter the big CO event in late May, it was hard to convince a Texan to bring every horse blanket and warm jacket they owned because yes it could snow – and occasionally did – back in the day when we didn’t have the forecast warnings that we do now. But it was already steamy in Texas, so they had a hard time believing it.
Been there, done that at GSEC when it’s cold. Lovely facility, but if it’s cold there is no where to go to get warmed up. Just like in other areas where cold weather is an abnormality, everything is designed for hot weather.
I mean, I ride through the winter no problem in an area that actually gets real winter, but there’s a lot more than clothing to keep in mind when you’re talking about trailering somewhere. If the forecast is iffy why take that risk over an unproven schooling show? Especially in an area that doesn’t have the infrastructure to deal with even minor winter weather, with a bunch of other drivers on the road that have no idea what they’re doing, to show at a facility not designed with cold weather in mind. No thanks, we probably would have stayed home too.
I live in the Mid Atlantic where we’re used to cold and turnout for winter shows is always sparse and largely unpredictable. Why bother in the freezing cold if you have nothing to prove (i.e. you’re not chasing points or have to get out before a certain upcoming big show etc.)
This. I’ve been a lot of cold places, lived in the mountains, and have the proper clothes. One of the coldest places I’ve ever been was Winter Series at GSWEC. There is literally no where to get warm and the covered buildings and indoors are like a walk in freezer. Even the Colorado & Montana peeps in town for the show were saying it was freezing.
The horses who live here all year, especially those acclimated by several years here, don’t deal with it well, either. I don’t know about this show, of course. But it is not unusual for truly cold days to have horses acting like unhinged looper rockets. Once the blanket is off, they have to keep warm somehow.
Hopefully all were nicely behaved at the show! 
And … late this afternoon (Sunday about 4 pm) the sun finally comes out, and it all warms up to a lovely mid-60’s.
Quite a few posts coming through my FB feed over the weekend from the UDJC Show.
Nothing but good things said about the organization and the show, and this was from some people who compete mostly USEF and others that stick to the more local GHHJA shows. It seems like a good time was had and people are planning on continuing to attend. A few friends also used it for a first horse show for young horses and praised how welcoming and non-overwhelming it was for the youngsters.
Nice! Thanks for the report 
Looks like they had a decent turnout for a first ever show. I recognized 4 trainers, other than the organizer. One of which was a little eyebrow raising.
Agree. That did answer the question about whether the association would be following Safe Sport lists or not, which I had just assumed they weren’t after they didn’t answer the question posed above. I think that might be a problem they need to address and adjust if they want to continue to grow.
Though I guess, technically, a trainer on the SS list can go to any schooling shows if they aren’t USEF affiliated. So maybe that’s their reasoning!
If a trainer on the Safesport list who is banned from USEF shows took students to a UDJC show, why can’t we name them on this thread?
I don’t understand how it has to be a secret.
Luckily it’s easy to figure out who you are referring to by looking at the Safe Sport list for the trainer(s) listed in Texas. 
The point is if you know- why can’t you SAY it? This culture of secrecy and being afraid to utter a name is nonsense. Much like on another thread the person keeps telling us if they told us who the trainer drugging was we would be horrified. By an anonymous poster…… geez use the initials if you’re that afraid. Otherwise why is it even worth bringing up?
Christian Heineking and his wife and kiddo all showed UDJC. Erin posted her thoughts on the “safe environment” after “leaving USEF 2 years ago.”
I have no skin in this game.
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